NikonGear'23

Introductions => Introduce Yourself => Topic started by: Tom Gresham on January 31, 2016, 17:09:20

Title: Checking in from Bayou Country -- Louisiana
Post by: Tom Gresham on January 31, 2016, 17:09:20

I've been hanging out here for a couple of weeks, and I've posted a few times.  It must be time say hello.

Photography has been important to me all my life.  My father was a magazine writer and photographer, so I grew up in front of a camera (he often needed pictures of children), and by age 13 (1965) I was shooting pictures for his books and articles, using his Rolleiflex and Mamiya twin lens reflex cameras.  I used his Pentax/Asahi Spotmatic 35mm as well as a dozen other cameras. 

My association with Nikon began in 1971 when I bought a Nikon FTn body along with Nikkor 24, 55 Micro, and 135mm lenses.  I took that setup to photojournalism school in Missouri.  While there, I bought another body -- a straight F with no light meter.  Through the following years I've written for and been editor of a number of national magazines.  Being editor of Alaska Magazine was one of the most fun gigs because of the great photography we used there.

I've been fickle with cameras.  Switched to the Olympus OM system.  Dunked that whole kit into a river (2 bodies, four lenses).  Ruined.  Leica RF and SLR (4 bodies and lenses from 21mm to 400), Pentax SLR - 35mm - digital - 67 - 645, Fuji X (dunked that whole system into an ice chest full of water), back to Nikon.  Have owned more than 100 cameras and no telling how many lenses. 

I no longer write or shoot for magazines, having moved out of print 10 years ago (except for a regular gig writing for a Washington, DC, newspaper).   I now produce television shows, using the Nikon lenses on the Sony video cameras.  Great combinations.

My New Year's resolution this year is to shoot more pictures and get more serious about my photography.  Toward that end, I recently bought a D810 body and four Zeiss lenses (15, 21, 55 Otus, 100 Macro). 

Reading Thom Hogan, Lloyd Chambers, and pouring over the great information on Nikongear.net are keeping me up late each night, but I'm learning a lot. 

Thanks for having this site. 

Title: Re: Checking in from Bayou Country -- Louisiana
Post by: Jakov Minić on January 31, 2016, 17:32:47

Welcome Tom, looking forward to your illustrated stories :)

Title: Re: Checking in from Bayou Country -- Louisiana
Post by: Gary on January 31, 2016, 18:40:03

Welcome to the forum Tom.

Title: Re: Checking in from Bayou Country -- Louisiana
Post by: Bruno Schroder on January 31, 2016, 18:52:14

Welcome here, Tom

Title: Re: Checking in from Bayou Country -- Louisiana
Post by: Tom Gresham on January 31, 2016, 22:30:47

Thanks, guys.  Trying to learn as much as I can here.

Title: Re: Checking in from Bayou Country -- Louisiana
Post by: Olivier on January 31, 2016, 23:04:49

obviously there is a lot to be learnt from you...
welcome!

Title: Re: Checking in from Bayou Country -- Louisiana
Post by: Erik Lund on February 01, 2016, 11:12:34

Welcome! Please do feel at home here on NikonGear - Looking forward to more posts from you ;)

Title: Re: Checking in from Bayou Country -- Louisiana
Post by: elsa hoffmann on February 01, 2016, 11:26:57

welcome - looking forward to seeing more from you

Title: Re: Checking in from Bayou Country -- Louisiana
Post by: Akira on February 01, 2016, 12:20:59

Welcome aboard, Tom!

Title: Re: Checking in from Bayou Country -- Louisiana
Post by: stenrasmussen on February 01, 2016, 12:36:33

You're most welcome in our ranks of passionate image-makers and nerds  ;D

Title: Re: Checking in from Bayou Country -- Louisiana
Post by: Frank Fremerey on February 01, 2016, 12:52:09

Great story promises great contributions. Everybody learn, everybody teaches here! Welcome

Title: Re: Checking in from Bayou Country -- Louisiana
Post by: tommiejeep on February 01, 2016, 13:26:10

Tom, welcome to the site.  I've not spent much time in the Bayous but have a soft spot for Cajuns, and the late Ronnie Gaubert was one of my most influential mentors when I bought the D200 and later the 500vr.  Love to spend some time on a small boat in the Bayous  :) .
Cheers,
Tom

Title: Re: Checking in from Bayou Country -- Louisiana
Post by: Nick Scavone on February 02, 2016, 04:00:08

Tom,

Welcome. Visited New Orleans not too long ago. Beautiful city, remarkable character. Fantastic food. Would love to see what you can produce with your Zeiss glass. I recently began picking up Zeiss glass (25mm f2, 100 and 135, and am eyeing the 50 f2 now) to compliment my fairly full range of Nikon glass. I currently use a D810.

Cheers,

Nick
Detroit, MI USA

Title: Re: Checking in from Bayou Country -- Louisiana
Post by: Jørgen Ramskov on February 03, 2016, 14:32:31

Welcome! It's always good to see new users joining.

Title: Re: Checking in from Bayou Country -- Louisiana
Post by: Tom Gresham on February 03, 2016, 15:07:40

Thanks for the kind welcomes.  I appreciate the inspiration I'm getting by looking at the great photos posted here.

It's a bleak time of year for outdoor photography here.  No snow.  Just bare trees and brown.  Maybe it's b/w time. :)

I don't get as much time as I'd like for photography.  Work is six days a week, about 10 hours per day.  It's fun work, but it is somewhat consuming.  One of my resolutions for this year is to make more time for photography.